“China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile phone operator, said on Monday it had not officially entered into talks with Apple Inc to bring iPhones to the mainland, but was interested in doing so,” Kirby Chien reports for Reuters.
“In January, China Mobile said talks with Apple on launching the U.S. company’s popular iPhones had been called off, although Apple has never commented officially on the issue,” Chien reports.
MacDailyNews Take: On January 15, 2008, Apple CEO Steve Jobs appeared on CNBC with Jim Goldman and stated that rumors of on-again, off-again negotiations with China Mobile are simply untrue; just a single China Mobile rep. has flown out to Cupertino just once. There are no ongoing negotiations, just a first meeting. Jobs told Goldman that Apple wanted the iPhone in China, but details will come later.
Chien continues, “‘We have not yet officially begun talks with Apple over the iPhone problem,’ China Mobile Chief Executive Wang Jianzhou told reporters on the sidelines of an annual parliament advisory body meeting. ‘As long as our customers want this kind of product, we will keep all options open,’ said Wang.”
Full article here.
What about all those buttheads that reported the China deal was dead and drove the stock down even more? Can we drive a stake through their heads???
I’d very much like to join you in that.. please let me know if there are any meetings to attend with a plan and attack location… Also I will need to be informed if we will all be in ninja suits with apple logos stakes.
“On Januray 15, 2008, Apple CEO Steve Jobs appeared on CNBC with Jim Goldman”
Januray?
Poofreading?
“‘We have not yet officially begun talks with Apple over the iPhone problem,’
iPhone problem???? Interesting way to view it.
@ howiebear & Spark,
Awesome comments.
MDN: question?
Januray? iPhone “problem”?
I do not get it? why if apple stocks are falling so hard ($121 right now) why they just start selling the iPhone in the China and Latin America market? if a deal is need it, just make the dam deal.
Hopefully, Apple focus is on Japan first…China will follow anything and everything Japan does…it is guaranteed a million iPhone sales in Japan as long as it meets the strict standards the Japanese consumers set.
@viktor,
Patience, my young grasshopper. Apple cannot unmake a bad deal. Their stock price is being impacted by macro economics, not one iPhone deal or another.
“problem” is a poor Chinese translation of a Chinese phrase that has no real English meaning. Translators normally for some unknown reason translate this phrase to “problem”. Many English speaking Chinese have been taught that the phrase means problem in English. It does not, the Chinese use the phrase to describe events, abstract ideas, and business ventures and well as a number of other types to events, problems and difficulties are just a small part of these.
In this case a better translation would be “opportunity” or even “venture” depending on the tone and context of it’s use.
The above information is brought to by a friend of mine who is a Native speaker and Phd. of the Chinese Languages.
They DELETED my earlier post! BOGUS! I still am “inteested” regarding this issue. FYI, during the conf call Apple execs stated that there were “no talks” on china telco in order to contradict FALSE REPORTS that there had been talks. That is called responsible reporting of current (as of jan 08) Apple business dealings. Mike, if this makes you want to “drive a stake thru their heads”, I suggest you seek help.
Thanks, Demon, for the explanation. Makes sense!
Apple needs China to pass the 10 millions iPhone sold mark.
Yeah, iPhone problem,
problem is they want it and don’t have a way to get it.
I’d like to know, officially, what the iPhone problem is up here in Canada. It’s a shame Apple can’t release the news that Rogers is a pack of blood-sucking parasites that is being supremely uncooperative. Yeah, I know that’s not really news, but….
Not news at all. But true just the same,
quotation
“I’d like to know, officially, what the iPhone problem is up here in Canada. It’s a shame Apple can’t release the news that Rogers is a pack of blood-sucking parasites that is being supremely uncooperative. Yeah, I know that’s not really news, but….”